High-pressure fuel pump systems are used in a variety of motorized platforms, including those of trucks, buses, and automobiles, as well as off-road machines utilized in construction, mining, and agricultural fields. They are also utilized in marine as well as industrial applications, the latter including, by way of example, electric power generation and petroleum drilling rigs. Such pumps are generally mechanically driven via associated engines for delivering fuel under high pressure to fuel injectors and into individual cylinders of the engines through so-called common rail fuel systems.
Common rail fuel systems generally include fuel delivery components associated with a high-pressure variable delivery pumps. A variable delivery pump may be effective to deliver high-pressure fuel into a manifold that acts as a central accumulator for the high-pressure fuel prior to its delivery to individual injectors. The manifold thus dampens pressure fluctuations occurring from discreet high pressure pumping events. Typically, the fuel is sourced from a fuel tank by means of a low pressure fuel transfer pump to the variable delivery high-pressure fuel pump.
Apart from atmospheric emissions control purposes, the fuel is pressurized to facilitate the accurately timed and controlled delivery of discrete fuel amounts to the fuel injectors. As such, an electronic control system is generally employed to monitor and optimize system fuel pressure. The electronic control system operates the high-pressure pump as well as each of the electronically actuated fuel injectors to optimize fuel pressure and quantity, as well as timing of delivery, under a variety of engine operating conditions.
Normally, such systems include capabilities for avoiding over-pressurization of the fuel pump manifold and or rails, which can occur upon any number of operational, control, or component failures. Thus, there is a constant quest for improving overall efficiencies, reliabilities, and durabilities of common rail fuel systems.
One additional area for potential improvement relates to packaging of and/or installation of components within fuel pump housings. As such, there may be an opportunity for placement of pressure relief valves, pressure sensors, and pressure control valves into actual fuel pump housings, as opposed to the placement of one or more of such components outside of such housings. This effort may facilitate the use of more compact structures in the face of ever tightening space restrictions.